


Echoes

by quandong_crumble



Series: It's 3:00 AM, I must be lonely [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 3:00 AM Phone Calls, Character Death, Dialogue, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Less than 1000 words, Voicemail, aftermath of New York
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-15
Updated: 2013-10-15
Packaged: 2017-12-29 09:45:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1003918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quandong_crumble/pseuds/quandong_crumble
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The night after the... incident with Loki and the Chitauri in New York, Pepper phones one Phil Coulson because she desperately needs someone to talk to. She gets his voicemail.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Echoes

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first of what will likely be many short fics written as a response to the following prompt:
> 
> "It's 3:00 AM and I'm calling you because I don't know who else to talk to."
> 
> Prompt and beta both lovingly supplied by [Saral_Hylor](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Saral_Hylor/pseuds/Saral_Hylor), the enabler :)

_“Welcome Phillip Coulson. You have nine new messages. Message received at 3:07 AM.”_

“Phil, it’s Pepper. I’m sorry, I know it’s 3:00 AM and I’m calling you because I don’t know who else to talk to. I just need to talk to somebody who can understand all this, somebody I can tell all the details to and they can talk me through it all. God, Phil, I watched him fly a nuclear weapon through a hole in the sky. I watched it on TV and I couldn’t do anything at all—”

_“Message deleted. Message received at 3:08 AM”_

“I couldn’t do anything. The last time I felt this helpless was when Rhodey called to promise me he wouldn’t let them call off the search. Do you understand? I feel like I did when he was lost in the fucking Afghani desert even though I know he’s alive, even though he’s sleeping in the next room and oh god I don’t think I can do this, I don’t think I can take this sort of pressure, I’m a businesswoman, I fight the board and crappy export laws not alien—”

_“Message deleted. Message received at 3:12 AM.”_

“Sorry. Sorry. Oh my god, I’m a mess right now. I’m sorry, Phil. I’m not coping very well with this at all. I just need someone to talk to who’s going to be able to tell me that it’s all going to be okay and be able to prove it. I can’t exactly sit down and discuss all this with a regular therapist and Doctor Jameson isn’t exactly the best idea here either. I so very, very badly need a drink, though.”

_“Message deleted. Message received at 3:30 AM.”_

“I’m sorry. It’s me again. I’m just… it’s just… you’re… I consider you a friend, Phil, a close friend. And I really, really need a friend right now. I need someone to tell me it’s all going to be okay.”

_“Message deleted. Message received at 3:37 AM.”_

“They’re replaying it on every channel, you know? Showing him take that nuke through the portal. Over and over again. I can’t look away. God, they’re showing him fall out again too and that’s even worse. I… Sorry, honey, did I wake you up? Go back to sleep. I’ll be there in a minute. Just making a few calls. Go back to bed.”

_“Message deleted. Message received at 3:42 AM.”_

There is the quiet sound of sobbing. It lasts for fifteen seconds.

_“Message deleted. Message received at 3:45 AM.”_

“Me again. I still can’t sleep. Tony turned the TV off and poured me another drink but he’s out like a light again. Snoring, even. It’s kind of reassuring, really. I can hear him from here and I know he’s okay. Hearing your voice helps, too, even if it’s just your voicemail. Sorry. I think the alcohol’s starting to make me a little bit too talkative.” 

_“Message deleted. Message received at 3:57 AM.”_

There is the quiet sound of sobbing. It lasts for ten seconds.

“Goddamn it Phil, I need you to not be dead right now.”

_“Message deleted. Message received at 4:26 AM.”_

“Um, this is Pepper Potts. I’m calling to… I just want to say sorry to whoever has to listen to those messages. I’m not coping well with pretty much having my world turned upside down. Again. So, yeah, sorry for that. I hope I didn’t cause any undue distress. Uh… good night.”

_“Message deleted. There are no more new messages.”_

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Aftermath](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1027072) by [Saral_Hylor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saral_Hylor/pseuds/Saral_Hylor)




End file.
